MUSIC FOR CLIMATE

Nov 23, 2019 · Peggy Corkum Music Room · Halifax, Nova Scotia

MUSIC FOR CLIMATE marked Alkali Collective’s debut performance and established several ideas that would continue to shape the organization’s work for seasons to come: contemporary chamber music rooted in the present moment, programming that reflects social and environmental concerns, and a strong connection to place. The concert focused on climate, landscape, and the ways human activity interacts with the natural world.

The program brought together works by Carmen Braden, Anthony Genge, Jocelyn Morlock, Jordan Nobles, Arvo Pärt, and Lucas Oickle. Several pieces drew directly from environmental imagery: Braden’s Every Freeze Is Different considers seasonal variation, while Morlock’s Bird in the Tangled Sky and Oickle’s They Cut Down The Mountains reflect on human intervention in natural landscapes.

From the Artistic Directors

Alkali Collective is an artist-led chamber ensemble that strives to expand the Nova Scotia music scene. We live in a city steeped in music history and are watching Halifax grow and flourish into a diverse social and musical community. We as an ensemble want to showcase the voices of today; the composers that reflect our city, our society, and the ever-changing Canadian identity.

Our first concert follows the theme of climate; how it affects us and how we in turn have made profound effects on it. Our ensemble is named after a key climate factor in our province. Alkali, or salt water, surrounds us and shapes our way of life. Many of the works you will hear this evening are inspired by our surroundings or are contemplative in nature.

Carmen Braden’s work focuses on how our seasons have infinite variations — much like our ensemble. This piece highlights how different factors can affect our natural cycles through the use of open instrumentation. Lucas Oickle and Jocelyn Morlock’s works both depict the effect we have had on the planet: the image of birds flying among an imposing mass of man-made cables and the physical act of moving massive amounts of land to make way for an expanding population.

It is our hope that this concert offers you a new perspective on music as a voice for change, how our lives are shaped by nature, and how we must be aware of the drastic changes taking place around us. We sincerely thank you for joining us this evening.

– Megan Thibeault & Shauna DeGruchy